


Recounting (Remastered)

by zeeazn5525



Series: Recount Our Humanity [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Dream-inspired, F/M, Gen, It's why this is classified as mature too?, Minor character deaths too, So I tagged graphic depictions even though I don't think I'm good enough at it, Swearing, Zombie Apocalypse, but better safe than sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-18
Updated: 2015-01-18
Packaged: 2018-03-08 00:29:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3188987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeeazn5525/pseuds/zeeazn5525
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The zombie apocalypse started abruptly and silently... for most. </p><p>For Elisa, it was with a piercing wail and an overturning of reality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recounting (Remastered)

**Author's Note:**

> I posted the original version a while ago, but I've been working on "remastering" it, aka re-editing/adding more descriptions to the story.
> 
> I also changed the POV from first to third because I couldn't stand my own whining.  
> I'm not the best at graphic descriptions of gore or smut (of which there is none in this part) so bear with me while I learn slowly.
> 
> Enjoy! <3

August 27th.

It was a beautiful day like any other. Birds were chirping while the wind blew lightly through the tree branches in the late summer evening. As a child of summer, Alicia felt at home with nature in this time of year. She checked the time on her cell phone before pocketing it again. _8:36. I should probably be heading home soon but...just a little longer_ , she thought. With that, she hopped on a swing and enjoyed the sounds of the surrounding environment while swinging to increasing altitudes, each creak, squeak and rattle of the chains keeping in discordant rhythm.

She started humming a little lighthearted tune - Pony by Erin McCarley, to be exact - while watching the cars drive by on her left. She began singing the words as she turned her focus back on her dangling legs drawing in and out at varying heights. Her singing was cut short by a figure in her peripherals. She immediately looked down in an attempt to avoid eye contact, hoping to God that she had not been loud enough to be heard by the stranger. She had always been conscious of singing in public; while those that sang in public all seemed to possess angelic voices, hers was much deeper and carried a mediocre rasp that only sounded good to her in the shower.  Embarrassment flooded her system, but she still lifted her head to check if the stranger had any reactions.

From far away he looked like a nice gentleman, though walking with a heavy, slightly off putting limp. Alicia continued to swing since it seemed he had not noticed her presence at all. The thought of jumping off to help the man entered her mind and refused to leave. _What if he’s seriously hurt? But what if he just has a disability? Wouldn’t he be extremely offended? That would be embarrassing. Is that blood? But he doesn’t seem like he’s in any pain though, he’s not screaming for help or anything… that’s a pretty nasty limp though._ During her internal debate, the stranger had progressed to the edge of the park she resided in. Suddenly, he was only 10 meters from her.

It was baffling to her - thinking back - how it took her so long to recognize the signs of zombieism in the man. Perhaps it was because she was reluctant to believe that a zombie outbreak would be a possibility in her reality - she was reluctant to call this ‘man’ a ‘zombie’. Or perhaps it was because TV and media had always portrayed the outbreak to start in pure chaos. Yet it was too peaceful, too serene in this park where she was still swinging her legs in the air. The only sounds came from the tweeting birds, the chains groaning under the weight of her every swing, the whispers of wind through the dancing trees and now - the low moaning of the ‘zombie man’ before her.

He was only a few feet away when Alicia snapped back to attention, back to the situation at hand. _Shit, what do I do?_ Her thoughts grew more panicked as she struggled to think through the thick haze of anxiety settling in. She propelled herself to greater heights to buy some thinking time, looking around for possible weapons. Nothing seemed to be useful, only a few feeble branches were scattered around the playground. _I could… throw pebbles at him?_ Alicia immediately cursed her mind for supplying such a useless tactic. _No, don’t be a fucking idiot. Come on, think_. She huffed, trying to focus on her legs to keep her calm and steadily moving higher in altitude. Then, she had an idea. _What if I jump on him?_ She pulled her legs in to avoid hitting him as he tried to scramble over the small wooden ledge that marked the perimeter of the playground.

_Okay, how do I do this?_

As he drew much closer, she prepared herself to swing back once more before the attack, taking as deep of a breath as her lungs would allow in its anxious state. She swung her legs forward with the carried momentum, the kick imitating a swing of a hammer as the zombie was knocked backward from the blow to the head. The contact created a squelch against the soles of her boots - akin to the sound of stepping in a pile of wet dog shit. The zombie was still “alive”, though helpless for the moment - much like an overturned turtle. His groans became much louder, slowly escalating to an ear-shattering wail, as if he were calling for help. She quickly pulled back on the swing chains as forcefully as possible, hoping for a higher point of release. She launched off the swing, landing straight on his head with a cringe-worthy crunch. She felt every crack of the skull as it caved in under her feet, embedding itself in the squishy material it protected.

The screeching of the zombie stopped once she made contact, she didn’t have to look down to check if she had killed him - so she didn’t. Alicia refused to look down at the body, she didn’t think she could handle the sight of death. She had encountered death many times before this, but never once did she give into the masochistic temptation of staring at a dead body. Sure, she had been curious before, but she knew it would be something she would never be able to unsee.

The commotion sent the beautiful birds flying, the air became dry and static - as if nature was holding its breath, no longer wrapping its safety around the slightly shaken girl. She suddenly felt lost and alone, running away from the playground in an aimless dash in the direction of her home.

She halted once she heard more groans coming down the road ahead of her. _Shit shit **shit.**_ She backtracked, now running in the opposite direction. She decided to hide out at her friend’s house first, dialing his number while making her way up the small incline as fast as her legs could carry her. The tone rang once. _Come on, pick up._ Twice. _Pick up!!_ Thrice. _Pick up you assh--_

“Hello?” 

“Hey dude, open your door. Zombies,” Alicia breathed between pants, relief flooding her system as his house came into view.

"...Wha?" her friend replied unintelligibly, sounding as if he had just woken from a nap.

"There’s fucking zombies on my ass, I’m almost at your door.. JUST OPEN UP, I’LL EXPLAIN IN PERSON.” Her heart clenched in her chest as she took a heaving breath, making the mistake of looking back down the hill. A small crowd of zombies was heading after her now, although the closest zombie was still quite a ways away, allowing her to slow down slightly. Her friend remained silent for a while. She pulled the phone away from her ear to check if the call had been dropped - it hadn’t. She waited briefly for a reply, before asking if he was still there.

"Yo." Down the street, his door creaked open.

"Well, I'll talk to you soon," she said as she hung up and made a dash for the door. Rushing in and slamming it shut, she let out a long breath as she slid down the smoothly painted wood against her back. In hindsight, it probably attracted more zombies than needed, but it provided her with a grounding feeling of safety. He stood awkwardly in front of her while she took a moment to catch her breath. Then she stood, throwing her arms around him in an embrace that he politely shied away from - as was his nature. Alicia recounted the events of the past 5 minutes to him, watching his eyes closely. They grew wider in excitement at every terror-filled word that spilled from her mouth. Unlike Alicia, the idea of a zombie outbreak delighted him… It was practically his dream come true.

"Bonehead! I'm being serious here," Alicia said with a weak pout. His name was Bone Saw. Though originally a nickname, he introduced himself as 'Bone Saw' so often that it became more of a name than his actual one. He never told anyone what his real name was, or why his nickname was Bone Saw. Every time Alicia had asked, he simply replied with ‘It’s an internet thing’, as if that was in any way informative. Alicia made her own alterations and called him 'Bone’ instead. ‘Bonehead’ was an alternative reserved for occasions where she wanted to get on his nerves - as reciprocation for when he would get on hers.

"I'm serious. This is going to be awweesoome!" He yelled in the way he was known to, wearing a goofy grin. "I knew it was going to happen!" he cheered as if he had won the lottery, prancing up the stairs to his room. Alicia took off her bloody boots and followed slowly behind him, making a mental note to clean them of the maroon splatters at some point before leaving the house. _At least Bone has a plan, bet he’s been preparing for this since he was a child._ She made herself at home on his bed, sprawling across the solid gray bedspread, feeling the residual adrenaline draining from her body into the mattress below.

"Hey, do you have a phone I could use?" Alicia looked down at her cell phone - two bars of battery left.

"Yeah, here." Bone Saw tossed her his home phone, hitting her in the stomach before glueing himself back against his bedroom window, observing the roads below for signs of zombies.

"Thanks," Alicia said as she turned her cell phone off to conserve battery. The first call was made to her house.

"Hello?" a female voice answered after two rings.

"Hi 妈。 我现在在Bone Saw家。 我有可能一时半会儿回不来了。外面有僵尸，你们得小心一点，自己保重。" (Hi mom, I'm at Bone Saw's house right now. I probably won't be able to get home for a while. There's zombies outside, you guys need to be extra careful.)

"你在说什么乱七八糟啊？ 快回家！" (What are you talking about? Come home right now!)

Then she hung up. "WAIT!" Alicia shouted futilely into the receiver. Determined to give them fair warning, she called again.

"Hello?"

"妈！你听着。外面真的太危险了。你们要都在一起，把门锁好。过一会儿，让爸爸开着车，带着武器去找一些吃的。要是碰到僵尸，千万要砸头，出的声音越小越 好。就信我这一次，好吗？" (Mom! Listen. It's too dangerous outside. You guys need to stay together, make sure all the doors are locked. After a while, maybe get dad to drive out with a weapon and get some food. If you come across a zombie, remember to target the head and make as little noise as possible. Just trust me this once, okay?) She knew they weren't prepared for this, they tended not to believe in these things - they were reluctant to even imagine such an horrendous event, let alone understand common methods of zombie combat and zombie apocalypse survival. Hell, even Alicia wasn’t sure how much of the knowledge from games and shows were actually accurate. In the end, everything humans knew about zombies were all fictional imaginings… This, this is where real precedents of the zombie apocalypse are _actually_ going to be set.

There was a long silence. The phone basically _radiated_ disbelief. For additional persuasion, Alicia told them, "去看看外面" (Go look outside.) Faint footsteps tapping against her tiled kitchen floor was followed with half a gasp.

"。。。好。。。好吧。 你好好保重哦。早点回家。" (...oh...okay. You take care of yourself. Get home soon.)

"Okay."

"那一会儿见." (Alright, see you soon)

"嗯，一会儿就见." (Mhm, see you soon)

That’s when Alicia felt the anxiety slowly coil its way through her guts again. It was a stupid superstition, but one that seemed to work. She knew that she would never see her family again - either they were going to be dead, or she was before their next meeting. Telling someone ‘see you’ with a time frame attached to the end always resulted in the death of the other person before she saw them again. She hoped it was just that - a stupid superstition - but she could feel her thoughts on overdrive, unhinging themselves from the organized chaos of her mind. She sat up, unable to relax on the soft cushions beneath her.

"Byebye," her mother spoke again, voice strong and determined - vibrations from the speaker surrounding Alicia in the sound of motherly love for possibly the last time.

"Bye..." she trailed off, voice wavering while trying to decide if she should say it. After taking a deep breath, she decided to commit.

"I lo-" A small click signalled that her mom had already hung up on her. She finished the phrase in a whisper, speaking to no one but the white noise that broadcasted back to her. She held back fearful tears but felt uncontrollable droplets streaking patterns down her face as her eyes remained open and unblinking. She wiped them with her sleeve after realizing she would not be able to stop the flow from merely refraining from blinking. She didn’t want Bone to freeze up - something he did around anyone crying. She couldn’t afford to have him freeze up. He was still fixated on the window as she stood up, leaning against his closet door. She sniffled a little and tried to convince herself that she was just being a stupid pessimist.

Her second phone call went to Iago, a friend she considered to be a brother. From what she knew, both Zoe and Norie were with him. He picked up almost immediately.

"Hey Bone, what's up?"

"Uhh..not Bone. It's Alicia."

"Oh hey sis, sup? Why're you on Bone's phone?" Her friend group was close enough to consider each other a second family; Iago was essentially her closest sibling.

"Trying to conserve my phone battery. But uh, are Zoe and Norie with you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Good, just making sure. I’m not sure if you noticed, but there’s zombies outside… at least what I think are zombies. I'm hiding out at Bone’s right now, but we agreed to take on the apocalypse together, didn’t we? Was calling to see if you had a plan."

"Uh..maybe. I don't know. Do you have anything in mind?"

"Not really. Here, talk to Bone." She handed the phone to Bone, who finally finished marveling at the zombies outside, confirming the integrity of her story with a thumbs up. It only served to further unsettle her, as the promise of a completely new reality hung threateningly above her thoughts. He sat down on the bed. She followed, leaning her head on his shoulder to listen in on their plans. His shoulder did wonders, his confidence in his preparation radiating in animated waves as he talked. It was infectious, Alicia fell victim to the soothing way his voice dropped low after the initial excitement, hearing only bits and pieces of the conversation as she felt all the nervous energy grow heavy, sleepy. She was pretty sure they said something about school, energy and Alaska.

She woke up abruptly when Bonehead jerked his shoulder against her cheek with a sudden roughness.

"Ow!" she scowled at him.

"Wake up. We should get going soon." It took her some time to register his words, but once they did, she perked to attention.

"Wait what? Where are we going? How long was I asleep?"

"You've been sleeping on my shoulder for the past 5 years, completely knocked the fuck out. My shoulder's sooooo sore," he complained in a fake whine while heaving himself to his feet, stretching himself out and cracking every bone he could in the process.

Alicia's half-asleep mind could not process the sarcasm in his speech, settling for a confused, “Wait, how?”

Bone Saw laughed strangely hysterically at her reaction, his laugh carrying such a distinct quality that the sound itself always proved funnier to others than what he was initially laughing about. And so, Alicia found herself laughing along.

“You’ve been asleep for about 15 minutes, I just got off the phone,” he said in a slightly more serious tone, holding the phone up. “We’re going to meet up midway between my house and Iago's, then head off to Alaska, as I've always planned."

_Were things really that drastic already?_ It didn’t make any sense to Alicia. It seemed like everyone was so ready to pack up and go, so ready to completely abandon all that they had right now. She desperately wanted to leave the hell-hole that was her home sometime too, but those plans usually involved moving with friends to a nearby apartment complex, not moving all the way to _Alaska_. Plus, things didn’t seem to be so chaotic just yet. They still had electricity, running water, food, and a sturdy shelter. She didn’t understand why they had to leave now.

“Do we have to go so soon? I’m not ready to pack up and g-”

“We need to get ahead of the zombies. People are all just starting to realize it. There’s going to be widespread panic once word _reall_ y gets out, and we’ll be trapped here. It’s better to set out sooner.”

She was skeptical about the prediction, but she didn’t want to be the one to blame when they died because they didn’t run when they could.

Bone Saw chucked the phone at her, informing her that he was going to say goodbye to his parents before promptly walking out of the room. Alicia tried catching the phone before fumbling, dropping it on the bed. She made a mental note to work on her throwing and catching skills. She stared after him in disbelief, her eyebrows furrowing and head slightly tilting towards the empty doorframe. _How can he just so casually say goodbye to his loved ones? Aren't they coming with us?_

She shook the questions from her head as she dialed another number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gabby, it's Alicia."

"Oh HIII!!!" Gabriella was always full of energy, and Alicia loved that about her. It reminded her of an ideal outer image she could never attain. Sometimes she wondered how exhausting it must’ve been for Gabriella to keep such an optimistic front every day. She never seriously asked.

"Listen, I don't know what you're doing right now, but I just saw a few zombies on the street, so I wanted to tell you to be careful, also that we're goi-"

She was interrupted by a slew of crashes outside. "Just a sec," she told her as she moved swiftly to Bone Saw’s window, peeking at the commotion outside.

A car had T-boned another car that had slammed itself into a telephone pole. There was a wriggling form stuck between the car and the telephone pole. Nearby, a small crowd of zombies started forming as they limped towards the car. She considered the chances of saving either of the drivers in the cars. They seemed slim, and it shook her slightly, feeling a little nauseous from the helplessness coming over her. She sat back down on the bed weakly, returning to the phone call.

"Sorry about that, some...Hello?" Her brain finally connected the dots. The phone lines were dead. _At least she knows there's zombies around now. She's strong, and she probably wouldn't have left her family to come with us anyways...they're important to her._ Alicia believed in her will and ability to survive.

_It's a shame I didn't get to call Sam and see how she's doing, or even give her a warning_ , she thought. Sam was another friend that lived farther away, causing a bit of a problem when communication lines were down. _It'll be much harder for her to get to us. Maybe we'll just go get her together..._

Bone Saw walked back in at that moment, averting her attention from her thoughts. _How is he so composed? It doesn't make any sense._

He shifted nervously under her unintentionally scrutinizing gaze.

"Uhm... Are you ready to go?" he asked. _Maybe she’ll know to meet us in Alaska, she's always been just as prepared as Bone, if not more so._

"Hey Bone?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we stop by my house since it's midway anyways?"

"Sure, I guess that wouldn't do any harm. We have to move quickly though."

"Alright, let's go then!"

 

* * *

 

Alicia had hoped with every fiber of her body that her superstitions weren’t right. Yet it seemed like she was always spot on when it came to unfortunate predictions. _Just my luck_. She knew the moment she saw the glittering of the shattered glass on the pebble steps that her family had not survived. They didn't prepare because they never believed in such silly possibilities. Her neighbours obviously had a different perception and a hell of a plan.

She peered through the hole that took the place of the glass door she used to press herself against during snow days and hailstorms while she marvelled at the wonder of nature. She didn't really know what she expected, but she still couldn't stop the pained gasp from escaping her dry lips at the sight of her kitchen. The drawers were messily rummaged through, the cupboards ransacked clear of useful material - a deliberate force evident in the way some of the cupboard doors hung off its hinges. A few of the undead limped around inside, soft groaning echoing in the large room like a haunting choir that lingered in the background of Alicia's head to the bitter end.

They had not noticed either of the teenagers, so Alicia stepped forward towards the door, holding out hope that perhaps they had made it into hiding and were just waiting for her. Bone Saw caught her by the arm, shaking his head sympathetically - attempting to silently convey that they couldn't risk alerting the zombies.

She looked back at him, struggling to see past the film of tears collecting in her eyes.

"What?" she whispered, slightly annoyed that he was unwilling to even try.

"We can't go in there," he whispered, the sound hitting her ears a lot louder than expected, the sound rough and rushed.

"But-"

"We're not going in there!" he strained, teeth gritted, trying not to talk above a whisper.

"What if they're still in there?"

"They probably are, and they probably want to keep us there too."

"But I..."

"Look, it's for the best okay? I don't want to shoot a gun until absolutely necessary."

She wanted to cry out and beg, wanted to continue arguing, but she knew he was right. They barely had ammo for the both of them, seeing as Bone Saw had only prepared for himself, so their supplies were already halved. They couldn't risk wasting weaponry on a lost cause.

She gave up in silence, defeat hanging like deadweights from her limbs as she let her shoulders drop. She let him pull her away from the door, shards creating small crackling sounds beneath their feet as they picked up their pace - quickly entering a sprint towards their meeting spot.

_I didn't even get to let them know...I didn't even get to find a true family in them._ Strangely, despite the tears that had collected, she didn't cry. Perhaps it was the physical exertion or perhaps it was the wind in her face, but she didn't even let out a whimper as she trailed behind Bone Saw. _I'm a strong girl. That's what they've always taught me._

They arrived at the meeting location 5 minutes later.

Idled cars lined the streets, few in mint condition, most in a...crispy state. Horns that were blaring had now stopped, leaving the streets eerily quiet.

They chose to hide around the corner as they watched a couple shoving their way through the door of the corner store, small bags of loot in their hands. A gunshot rang out a second later, followed by the sharp sound of glass breaking, contrasting the muffled pinging of tin cans knocking against each other before the dull thud of the man's body against concrete. Another shot rang out half a second later, grief barely registering in the woman's face before she fell next to her partner, a clean red dot flowing crimson from the direct middle of her forehead.

_At least they went out wearing a couples outfit,_ Alicia's mind joked morbidly, eyes fixed on the symmetry of the wounds, noting the precision of the shots on both the bodies laying limp next to the sacks of food. She couldn't shake the thought that _they never saw it coming_. It was clear that common courtesy had been thrown out the damn window already. Soon, the snipers appeared to claim their prize. Alicia held her breath, hand clamped over her mouth as she tried not to hyperventilate loudly enough to attract attention.   

They stayed behind some bushes while they waited for the snipers to walk away, few with their guns up while others held the loot bags in their hands, leaving their rifles strapped to their back. Bone Saw watched straight ahead while Alicia took his place to watching for movements behind them, mind trying hard to focus on something other than the horror she had just witnessed.

One thing that she was starting to learn was that they couldn't afford to be sidetracked, not even for a second. It helped with the grieving process - there was no time to think about the death surrounding them, only enough to prevent their own deaths.

Bone Saw gave her the clear, so they ventured out to meet the others. It was a relief to see familiar faces. They seemed to be a little weathered too - splatters of blood peppering their fronts - most likely because the trip to the meeting spot was literally an uphill battle for them. The boys greeted each other casually while Alicia dashed towards Zoe and Norie, hugging them both tightly. She found a comfort in their company that didn’t quite come with someone as emotionally handicapped as Bone was. The now 5-member group discussed if they were going to go find Gabriella and Sam. They decided that a detour before heading north wouldn’t hurt - if they were to find Sam, they would actually stand a much better chance at survival.

 

* * *

 

They found Gabriella on the way, who told them that she planned to travel with her family - hopefully jacking an RV to head out to the countryside. She delivered plenty of hugs to all of the friends before they wished each other good luck.

_"If things go sour, meet us in Alaska, kay?"_ Alicia revisited the last things she said to her. It was never a bad idea to have a backup plan.

_"Okay!"_ she had replied. And that reaction would stick in Alicia’s mind for a long time. Her expression of positivity and slight excitement stood out as surprising to her. It was as if the situation didn't even phase her, and that served as more encouragement for Alicia to keep a strong face as well.

_"Alright, good luck. We'll meet again someday,"_ Alicia had said with a weak smile. The thought of _someday_ did not fail to make her gut churn, despite the façade of strength laced in her every smile.

Sam wasn't there when the group had arrived at her house. Her house hadn't been raided, which was quite surprising. Despite the fact that her house was quite hidden away from people who didn't know the place well, one would think her neighbours would have known to rummage through. _Maybe they actually had some common fucking decency_ , Alicia thought bitterly.

In any case, the group took the liberty of raiding her kitchen for any sign of where she went, as well as for any non-perishables in case she left some behind. To their surprise, there were a few cans of fruit and a can of SPAM.

"Sweet," Bone Saw breathed. He quite enjoyed SPAM, even before the whole apocalypse thing started. Everyone else was just excited to find some meat. Alicia quietly thanked Sam, knowing she had probably left those for them. Her suspicions were confirmed when she found a container of ice cream in the freezer, containing nothing but a single note. Her shoulders dropped in slight disappointment because, to be completely honest, she had really been hoping to have a taste of ice cream after the lack of comfort in the whole situation. They were, after all, going to be deprived of previous luxuries soon enough.

"I FOUND A NOTE!" she called to the others. The others quickly crowded around her as she unfolded the note.

'I headed out to massacre some zombies, see you guys in Alaska! -Sam'

_Man, she does not disappoint_ , Alicia thought. But once again, the stupid superstition surfaced from the edges of her mind. _Just be extra mindful of danger.._


End file.
